Station: Republic, MI

Republic was founded about 1871 and named after a mine which was located here in 1872. The mine was managed by the Republic Iron Mining Company. The town was also known for a time as Iron City.

Republic was served by at least four railroads over its history, which include the Milwaukee Road, Chicago & North Western, Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic and the Lake Superior & Ishpeming.

From a passenger standpoint, the C&NW, MILW & DSS&A crossed each other at a grade crossing downtown on the southwest edge of Mirror Lake. Today, this would be at the south edge of the village, on Park City Road at the mine overlook. The DSS&A line at this point was north-south, and the MILW and C&NW were east-west. For identification purposes, we've called this "Republic crossing". The MILW depot appears to be west of the crossing, with the C&NW depot being east of the crossing. [CNWV] The DSS&A depot was north of the crossing.

Image Info: Top, a Milwaukee Road steam locomotive and passenger train stops at the MILW depot at Republic. [Don Ross collection]. 2nd photo, a view of the open pit mine in Republic. This view was taken looking northeast from south of town. [CMUL] 3rd photo, the DSS&A turntable at Republic in 1912. [Greg Bunce Collection]. 4th photo, the railroads extending from the Champion area to Republic in a 1917 C&NW valuation map. [CNWV]

Notes

The Marquette & Ontonagon (DSS&A) arrived here first on their branch line from Humboldt in 1872 with the Milwaukee & Northern (MILW) main line from Milwaukee to Champion passing through in 1887. The C&NW arrived one year later in 1888. Due to declining mine shipments in 1928, the DSS&A branch was removed, and in 1933 the C&NW branch was removed.

In the 1950’s, the mine was re-activated as an open pit mine by the Cleveland Cliffs company. Their LS&I railroad built a new branch south to the open put mine in 1952 using parts of the former abandoned grades of the DSS&A and C&NW  (see map).

The MILW line was removed in 1976. The LS&I was the last railroad to serve the mine and the town.

The Republic Mine appears to have had two lives. The first mine was just south of the village, and included the West Republic Mine. It closed in 1926 and shipped from stockpiles for a few more years. Later in the 1950's this became a very large open pit mine, primarily served by the LS&I from the east side of the large open pit.

The DSS&A depot here was a bay window style depot. At was located north of the crossing at Republic Avenue. [CNWV]

The original M&O (DSS&A) line south from the "crossing" was jointly used by all three original lines with wye tracks on the two south quadrants of the crossing. [CNWV]

Republic is in Republic Township Section 7, T46N-R29W. [CNWV]

At one time, Republic had 14 saloons in town. A temperance hall was built in an attempt to offset them. [MMJ]

Time Line

1871. A narrow path north to Humboldt was widened and improved and the Republic Mine was opened. [MMJ]

1872. The DSS&A Republic branch is built to Republic. [MRL]

1875. August. As Engineer Finnigan of the MH&O was backing down a heavy grade near the Republic mine with 95 empty ore cars, he ran over a horse which was on the track, causing the rear cars to leave the track and as a consequence 35 cars were almost instantaneously piled upon one another, making a complete wreck of the whole mass. Abraham (brakeman?), who was at his post endeavoring to prevent the disaster, was raised in a car on the top of the whole pile of 35, and then unceremoniously moved out and down to shift for himself, and strange to say escaped without a scratch. The loss is estimated at $4,000. [DFP-1875-0803]

1870's. Several other firms explored the area, including at Erie, Kloman, West Republic, Metropolis, Standard and Riverside. None proved as successful as the original Republic Mine. [MMJ]

1877.  The Milwaukee Road arrives in Republic from Channing.

1887. The Milwaukee Road builds north through Republic to Champion. They cross the DSS&A Republic branch near Mirror Lake. [MRL] The crossing diamond is owned by the CM&StP railway which was second to build here. It appears that the DSS&A track at this crossing was removed after 1917. [CNWV]

1888. The C&NW arrives at Republic on their Republic branch. [MRL]

1889. A posse trailed a man named Reimund Holzbay who committee a stage coach robbery near Gogebic Station, on the south side of Lake Gogebic. The man was captured and arrested in Republic by the village marshal, assisted by E. Weiser, a justice of the peace. He was registered at the Republic Hotel and was recognized by the son of the proprietor. The man was on the way to the DSS&A depot to flee the area when he was confronted. He pulled a gun from his pocket which was grasped by the marshal. The man drew a second revolver with his left hand, but the officer succeeded in hitting him over the head with his "billy" before he could shoot. He was taken to the county jail in Marquette aboard the noon train. [DFP-1889-0901]

1900. Accident at Republic. June 16. Twelve persons were more or less seriously injured in a wreck on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul road at Republic last Saturday morning. Passenger train No. 6, south bound, crashed into a train of empty ore cars as the latter was speeding for a switch. The force of the collision was tremendous and the locomotives and a dozen ore cars were wrecked. Five of the injured were brought to Ishpeming on a special train. George Rich, a news agent from Milwaukee, received the most serious injuries and his recovery is doubtful. [LAS-1900-0616]

1913. February 23. CM&StP passenger train No. 2 derailed on a broken rail at 8 mph as it was approaching the depot at milepost 9.3 at Republic. All cars derailed except for the last Pullman car. The conductor was in the baggage car, probably preparing space for baggage to be loaded onboard at the Republic station, when he got crushed to death between a heavy safe that had moved when the car rolled to the side. He was the only person killed in the wreck. [DD-1913-0301]

1917. The C&NW had a 2-stall engine house, 50' turntable, cinder pit, water tank, 10' x 50' coal shed with chute, section dwelling and tool house here. The coal shed is removed in March, 1917. [CNWV-1917]

1918. The MILW, DSS&A and C&NW had station agents here on the day shift.  [TRT]

1926. The original mine is closed but continues to ship from stockpile until the mid-1930’s.

1928. The old mine is closed. [MMJ]

1928. The DSS&A Republic branch to here from Humboldt is removed. [MRL] Editors note: It is later used by the LS&I.

1930. The C&NW depot is sold, no longer used. [CNWV]

1933. The C&NW Republic Branch is removed. [MRL] Part of this right-of-way south of Republic Junction is later used by the LS&I.

1952. The Lake Superior & Ishpeming builds their line from Duncan to Republic Mine using most of the former DSS&A Republic branch north of Republic Junction, and the former C&NW grade southeast of Republic Junction to the mine. It comes into the new open pit mine on the old C&NW grade on the east side of Republic. [MRL]

1950's. Expansion of the open-pit mine led to the relocation of a part of the town of South Republic, about six miles south. [MMJ]

1956. The old mine is reopened as an open pit mine.  Another period of prosperity occurred. 

1976. The Milwaukee Road abandons their line from Republic north to Champion. The line south of Republic is abandoned in 1980, though some of it is used for car storage. [MRL]

1982. The open pit mine is closed. [MMJ]

Image info: Top, a 1917 map of the rail lines leading to Republic. This map does not include the LS&I which was not built until the 1950's. [CNWV]

December 22, 1958. Prosecution Urged In Rail Deal

ICC Cites 2 for Connecting Track

Washington DC, Dec. 23 (AP) - An Interstate Commerce Commission examiner has recommended prosecution of two railroads which built about 3/4 of a mile of unauthorized connecting trackage near Republic, Mich., in late 1957. The examiner, John Bradford, said, however, the arrangement appeared to have been useful to some shippers in the area and proposed that the ICC allow continued use of the connection.

Railroads Reply. The railroads involved are the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific and the Lake Superior & Ishpeming. They freely admitted the construction but contended the project simply involved additional switching tracks which did not have to be cleared with the ICC. After the connection was completed, the two railroads filed new freight schedules with the ICC providing for joint rates on various commodities to be handled over the connection.

Others Protest:. The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad complained to the ICC last January that what had been built was a freight interchange which probably would divert traffic from its line. The Chicago & North Western Railroad also appeared at the hearing to assert it had been adversely affected by the Republic rail link.

Examiner Bradford rejected the contention that the connection was simply switching trackage. He said it had provided as a means for obtaining freight movements previously moved over the lines of other carriers. [Benton Harbor News-Palladium - 1958-1222]